More than Academics

So much of the time, we are pushed into thinking that learning is all about "school work". We are told that kids need to spend 6+ hours a day at school plus 2-5 hours at night doing homework! I fall into this way of thinking sometimes too. But I know that learning is more than just academics. Many times it's our experiences & our hands on activities that teach us the most. Last week my kids spent some time at my parents' house doing some hands on stuff!

Jessica helped blow the pine needles off Mamaw & Papaw's driveway so we wouldn't track them into the house.

Here David is helping Papaw tear out a closet. David is unscrewing a board from the wall. My parents were tearing out a little closet so they could have a bigger one built.

 Jessica is helping Mamaw by sweeping up trash in the garage.

Now Jamie is blowing the pine needles off the driveway.

David is removing nails from boards so they can be put on the burn pile at the barn.

Jessica is taking a time out & hugging Tuffy. This tomcat loves Jessica & will let her carry him around like a baby. It's amazing because he won't let anyone else baby him like that.

Jamie is checking all the boards in the wall to make sure all the nails have been pulled.

Jessica is picking up wallboard & stacking it neatly by the wall. She was a big helper.

Then the kids helped Mamaw rake leaves.

Then Mamaw let them have some fun. Notice the cat at the edge of the leaves. She scampered when Jamie almost jumped on top of her.

They had a leaf fight.

They threw leaves in the air. It was fun getting them out of Jessica's hair.

Then they tried to bury David.

 Overall, they had a great day & learned a lot by helping Mamaw & Papaw. Sometimes learning is about more than academics! It's about learning skills, helping others & accomplishing things that build your mind & your character.

 

Quick Update

Homeschooling is going ok. I've been very fatigued lately & have just been diagnosed with sleep apnea. So homeschooling has been a little rough but we have been getting it done! Hoping that once I start using my C-pap I will start feeling better & having more energy.

One exciting update is that yesterday David asked to do math first! After that lesson, he said that he was ready for his test. Today he took his test & zoomed through it & got a B!!! He has been answering math fact questions all day. I finally figured out that he needs to have the problems put into a "word problem" not just a fact. If he sees 9 - 7 = ____ he just stares. But if I (or he) says "You have 9 cookies & you give 7 to Jamison, how many do you have left?" Then he can answer it quickly. I'm not sure what learning style that is, but I am so thrilled that we are getting math to click for him.

Other than that, things are going ok with school. Hopefully we will get a new podcast up soon. It has been crazy with Hubby traveling so much lately.